The Price of a Life
by TheWebbedKeyboard
Summary: After one too many tragedies strikes, Peter Parker finds himself in a downward spiral. Luckily, a certain billionaire is there to catch him in his fall. Parental!Tony Stark, Much Fluff
1. The Attempt

**_Trigger Warning: Suicidal Theme_ \- First Marvel Universe fanfiction! Hope you all enjoy- this will just be a one-shot but I love the parental dynamic between Tony Stark and Peter Parker so I just had to write this one. Let me know what you think!~**

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Tony's eyes blearily took in the sight of the faint city lights glow that shined through the dense smog of New York City as he willed his suit thrusters to go faster, he was exhausted after the unforgiving onslaught of meetings and appearances he had, had to make throughout this one night alone. Happy had insisted he take the jet home, he had been in Hong Kong less than 2 hours ago, but Tony had refused saying his own suit was faster than the multimillion dollar jet.

"Tony- they're already here to pick you up! Just take a little nap on the jet ride home- you will be there in no time. It can't be safe to fly around in your suit when you're this tired."

Tony turned toward Happy just before reaching the exit door of the massive hotel they had just checked out of as he sighed and tossed Happy his personal identification badge. "The sooner that I get in my _own_ bed, at my _own_ house, the sooner I can actually fall asleep and be left alone for a while. Now, I hopefully won't be seeing you soon an-"

"Actually you have a 10AM appointment in downtown New York with the board of city protection services and-"

"Nope! Not doing this right now. Enjoy the private trip, have a drink for me, I'm going home." And with that Tony had taken off, he knew Happy was right, it was a bit reckless to fly around when he had only had about three hours of sleep in the past two days. His mind drifted as he flew high across the ocean at dizzying speeds, he prayed Pepper didn't catch wind of him pushing his own limits, she would surely kill him.

As his pent house came into view though, Tony forgot all about the risks and smiled thankfully to himself. "F.R.I.D.A.Y initiate outdoor lighting on the top deck please."

"Finally, home." Tony mumbled as he prepared to land on the now well-lit landing pad just below him.

"Sir, there seems to have been a perimeter breach in the past twenty minutes, perpetrator has just escaped."

"What the…"

It was at that moment that Tony saw a shadow quickly fall past the glow of his pent house lights. "Hey!"

Tony quickly lunged towards the falling figure, his tired eyes barley making out the person's body as he caught them just in time. He was furious when he looked down and saw the familiar young face.

"Kid!"

Stark landed swiftly, he quickly realized the boy in his arms was unconscious as he made no movement to get out of Tony's arms, "Of course." The billionaire sighed as he rushed inside, trying to keep his overall panic buried, he set Peter on the couch and wasted no time to check the floor. "F.R.I.D.A.Y. run diagnostics on all security systems throughout the building, I need a current status on any heat signatures- do an explosives check on this level as well."

"Yes sir, there are no other entities in the building as of right now, no explosives, tracking systems or hidden technology detected."

Tony's stomach dropped at that, _who pushed Peter off the balcony then?_ He shook his head, not sparring a moment, "Alright- I need a full report on the last 20 minutes."

"There was only one intruder to the building at 2:03AM, and that was Mr. Parker, immediate babysitter protocol was extracted and adapted from KAREN and implemented. Diagnostics were ran upon his arrival and recognition, he was in great distress. I have no video feed to offer as my systems were limited at this time, apologies sir."

His head started to spin as Tony's thoughts drifted to darker scenarios as to why Peter fell. "Alright…Karen, play the feed from Peters headcam from the past 20 minutes."

"Certainly."

Tony strained to hear the video feed as he heard a distinct strain in Peters breathing, like he had been running for miles. He grew frustrated as he was only meet with darkness on the video. "Karen, where is the visual?"

"At this point in time Peter had his hands covering his mask, sir."

Stark shifted uncomfortably at that as Peters voice suddenly came into the audio full blast throughout the room.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry….God, I'm so sorry."

The feed suddenly went from black to complete clear depicted view that made Tony's heart leap into his throat.

"Oh kid…"

Tony watched the feed in guilt as he saw Peters arms come into the cameras view, the boy's hands trying to close up a particularly large and fatal gash across a young girl's side.

"You're going to be alright, ok? I'm going to save you…j-just stay with me!" Peters shaking voice cut right through Tony's senses, his fatigue long forgotten now.

The camera suddenly panned up as a paramedic neared Peter, took the young girl from him and rushed her off. Tony could see the boys bloodied hands shaking as he handed the girl to the medical team. A blanket was draped over her body, it was obvious she was dead, there had been no hope.

Suddenly a large middle-aged man who looked half hysterical approached Peter, "It-It's your fault! Hero of the people? You are useless! I saw you perched on the rooftop right when the crash happened! You piece of shit! All you heroes are useless!"

Tony flinched as a distinct crack was heard across the cameras feed, the visual swiftly cutting out then slowly coming back into focus as police swarmed the guy and lead him away in a police car. Tony felt anger bubble up in his stomach towards the drunken man as the scene continued.

Peter seemed to be forgotten as the scene dissipated quickly, soon he moved to a nearby roof, the camera was now still as it faced towards the ground. Sobbing could be heard clearly throughout the feed, slight incoherent mumbles broke out every so often as well.

"Karen, verbal report."

"Peter was patrolling twenty first street at approximately 1:30AM when Barry Warner, the man you just witnessed in the video feed, wrecked into the side of a building at 60MPH. I did a BAC on him as he approached Peter and found he was 3 times over the legal limit, he only received a moderate concussion from the crash. His daughter, Grace Warner, age 8, died in Peters arms upon his quick arrival. At 2:00AM Peter rushed here after having multiple panic attacks, he sprained both his wrists and his ankle as he was swinging from the buildings to get here at dangerous speeds. He also received a broken nose from the intoxicated individual."

"…play the rest of the feed." It wasn't necessary really, in fact Tony was sure it would have just broken his heart more to watch anymore of this but he had to know if Peter was followed, he didn't want to believe the obvious situation. Didn't want to believe that Peter likely thought the whole situation was his own fault, that he took the drunk jackasses comments to heart and came to the pent house in search of help of any sort but got none.

As the video resumed Tony nervously watched as the suits camera was jostled around while Peter jumped from sky scraper to sky scraper, he heard the heavy breaths and slight sobs from the boy as the camera showed his penthouse coming into view.

"He c..an help…take it away.. he'll help"

"Kid…"

Peter barged into the building from an open window, as soon as he entered the main complex of the penthouse he sobbed. "Mr. stark! Please- I…Mr. Stark! I killed her! My fault…all these deaths…I can't do anything right."

Tony grew more alarmed as he heard Peter speak so hopelessly, he couldn't help himself. "Pause. Karen, what does he mean by 'all these deaths'?" It didn't sit right, maybe the boy meant his other deceased family members, maybe in his anguish he thought that the girls death was enough- but still. Tony needed clarification more then anything now.

"In the past week alone Peter has been first hand witness to three fatal car crashes and one murderer victim."

Shaking hands ran down Tony's face as he nodded, "resume the video."

"H-he's not here…Karen he's not here."

The unemotional A.I.s voice took over, "Perhaps he is still on his business call, would you like me to send a distress signal?"

"N-no, there's no need…this is a sign."

"Peter, the suits indicators have run a diagnostic scan, you need medical attention for your broken nose."

"I'm sorry." Peter mumbled quietly as he opened the outside decks doors. "Deactivate safety protocol measures." The boy sobbed.

"I am sorry, Peter, I am unable to follow these specific instructions as babysitter protocol rule 543 indicates that only at age 18 are you allowed to withdraw certain protocols.

Tony heard Peter sob louder as he pulled at the suit, taking all articles of the suit off except the mask, leaving the boy in his normal casual wear of his nerdy T-shirt and jeans. Lastly Peter took off the mask and turned the camera toward himself.

"Mr. Stark if you are seeing this then please know I'm sorry. I've tried so hard…I tried to not bother you all this time, I even got a therapist to help me with my guilt and fear…but I could barely scratch the surface…I-I wanted to tell her everything. I wanted to tell anyone everything and how hard this has all been. I've watched so many people die…and I…I didn't save one. I'm not a hero . Please take the suit back and give it to someone who can actually do it justice. T-tell Aunt May I love her…tell Ned I'm sorry…I'm so sorry."

And just like that the distressed teen laid the mask down gently on the ground, the video feed still playing as the mask was in direct sight of Peter as he climbed on the ledge and looked down over the city, no more sobs, no more tears, just a blank expression as he let himself fall.

"That's enough…" Tony ran another anxious hand over his face, "shit kid." Without another thought he scooped the kid in his arms, Bruce crossed his mind as he brought the kid to the medical wing of the tower but something told him he would need more help than just Bruce. He had no doubt the man could help with the physical ailments of the boy, but as far as the mental hurt…he was at a loss. That's when he realized, it had to be him to talk to Peter. It was his responsibility to do so after all, he had caught him, had seen the cruel and unforgiving situation as it was, it was his job and first priority now.

Once Peter was carefully placed on the bed, Tony immediately called Bruce, "Medical wing ASAP." He hung up without any further word on just what the hell was going on.

Tony sat heavily on a stray chair directly across from the medical bed, he looked up at the broken figure in front of him. The kid definitely did have a broken nose, the slight curvature and profuse amount of dried blood glared back at Tony. His wrist was already very swollen and turning a slight purple at this point. "I'm sorry." Tony whispered, he hadn't the slightest clue how he was going to say anything of meaning to the kid later but knew he would have to. Figuring Bruce has another five minutes till he arrived at the wing Tony decided he would try to atleast say the words he was going to say later.

"That bastard was wrong you know, it was all his fault. He was drunk Pete, there's no way he could have made any sense even if he wanted to. And even if he was completely sober…he was wrong. I know you did everything you could, I watched the feed…there was nothing else you could have done. You can't do this again…you can't ever do this again." Tony's voice cracked a bit as he looked down at the floor, he didn't know who he was trying to comfort in this moment, it was so unlike him. He knew he couldn't drink this problem away though, if he did that it would hurt more than just him this time around, and he wasn't going to risk the boys well being.

"I'm sorry."

Tony's head shot up in surprise, sure enough there was Peter, trying to climb out of bed.

"Hey, whoa, you're ok." A heavy hand fell on Peters shoulder as his swollen wrist gave out under him and he fell back on the bed.

"Just being a burden on you- I'm sorry Mr. Stark…wait…did you-"Peters face broke out in realization, it was almost painful to watch as embarrassment and confusion played across his features.

"I caught you."

"Hey!" Bruce called as he entered the room, he stared at Tony unbelievably, "A little warning as to what I'm walking into next time! You scared me to death! What do we got here?"

"Karen."

"Both of Peters wrists are sprained, his right ankle is also sprained, his nose is broken as well."

Bruce set off to work, Peter quietly thanked the man for not making any comment as he stared down at the thin hospital blanket covering his shaking body. He did not dare look up at Tony.

"I'll be back."

That's all that was said until five hours passed, Peter stared at the mundane ceiling that had been mocking him for the following hours. Bruce had been in and out of the room, a random nurse filled in the gaps so Peter never got the chance to be alone for more than five minutes. He had an uneasy feeling that it was no coincidence.

The boy sighed, he messed up, he knew that. It wasn't as if the action was completely out of nowhere, he had the same self-defeating thoughts that the drunken man had screamed at him about quite often. Suicide was not a rare thought to him, however, he had never thought he would have actually acted on them.

He had always easily talked his way out of anything like that, May would be left alone, Ned would be friendless, and Tony…well…Peter wasn't sure if he would be affected or not. He often told himself that the billionaire would at least be a little sad that there wouldn't be anyone to help him straighten his lab at times for him. His heart went dull at that as the reasons to stay played in his mind, soon enough resolutions to the so called problem of him being gone came up as well, May could move on, she would eventually find someone to take his spot, Ned would probably be motivated to actually branch out and find better friends, and Tony? Well...Peter doubted he'd see much difference in the end. Peter was convinced he was easy to replace at this point.

He swiped at his eyes, clearing away the stray tears that fell from them. Of course, Tony Stark of all people decided to drop in at that exact moment after hours of being gone.

"Hey kid- are you...ok?" The man mentally slapped himself, he kept himself away for hours just so he could gather his bearings, make himself watch the videos of the night prior and yes, even look up and call Peters counselor. Not once did he hesitate as he looked up the counselors whole academic history and life story.

"Anyways...She's crap, your therapist."

Peter shifted uncomfortably, "how did you know I have…a therapist…"

"You kind of told me in your little…video you left me." He didn't want to say it…the last piece of communication he would have ever had from the boy. The final words intended for him. A virtual suicide letter really.

"Oh." Peter looked down again, his hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they took the thin fabric of blanket and grasped onto it at times.

"We have to talk about it, you know."

"I-I promise I won't do it again Mr. Stark. It was stupid, a big mistake, I won't do it again. I'm sorry I-"

"Kid. You scared the shit out of me last night. You made me forget that I haven't slept in the past two days. You made me legitimately cry last night….and let me tell you, it's been years!"

Peter looked down, the weight of his mentor's words crushing him from the inside out. "I'm sorry." He whispered somberly.

"No. None of that, no talking or I'll never get through this!" Tony's voice faltered a bit as he finished, Peter looked up a bit in surprise as he watched the man all but collapse in the hard-plastic chair directly beside him. As soon as Tony looked up at him, Peter looked away quickly as if he had been burned by his gaze alone.

"Look at me kid."

A hesitant set of tired eyes met his determined ones. "I'm telling you all this for one reason only- and that's not to make you feel bad, you're not a burden on or to me. I told you all of that because I want you to know I care damnit. When I caught you last night, when I watched those videos, hell, when I watched you talking into the camera for what you thought was the last time. I never admitted to myself that you jumped, that you really meant to take your own life last night. I've taken every precaution to put you on watch throughout today just in case but…I have to hear you directly say this to me Peter…I need you to say what happened. The truth needs to come from you directly."

Peter couldn't hold the tears any longer as he heard the unnatural desperation in Tony's voice, he couldn't argue with the care and concern etched into the man's voice. "I-I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking, Mr. Stark…I wanted to be Spiderman to save people, to help them in every way I could…but all I have seen more than anything is death. So much death. I didn't want to go to anyone, Aunt May made me go to a therapist because I'm failing all of my classes. The only place I felt helpful and wanted was on patrol, it was the one place where my thoughts weren't so dark…but when that man punched me last night I couldn't help but want to beg him to kill me right then and there. I can't even go on patrol and feel like I am worth something anymore."

"Why?" It sounded a lot more like a statement then a question, Tony knew all the answers to every question he was about to ask- almost all of them anyways. But he had to hear it from the kid, to make it real, and for the kid to hear himself as well.

"It was my fault…s-she died because of-"

"He was three times over the legal limit, he was so drunk he probably didn't even know which way was up! I watched the feed…I watched all of it-multiple times, mind you. There was no way you could have anticipated that, they were going 60 miles per hour- your quick but you're not that quick. I'M not that quick, and I don't think any of the avengers could have stopped that tragedy. You jumped into it anyways, risked your identity, to try to save that little girl. Pete…she was gone before you got there, she died on impact there was nothing you could have done."

"I-Its always like that."

"Like what, kid?"

"Everyone is always one step ahead of me, it's like the universe is always trying to tell me that I'll never be fast enough, smart enough…good enough."

No hesitation was present as Tony reached over the railing of the medical bed and pulled Peter into a hug, the boy was beyond surprised as he waited a few seconds, scared it was some miscommunication on his part like that time in the car, before he carefully brought his arms around the man. He felt a strange sense of safety at the moment, from both the world and himself.

"You are good enough. I told you to be better than me…you have exceeded my expectations every step of the way. I gave you the suit back for a reason, you are Spiderman, you have seen more than the average adult has in their own lifespan. I can't help but feel responsible for that…but I'm going to help you now. I will. You're never going to feel this way alone ever again kid, I'm going to prove that I really do care."

Peter wiped away the brimming tears as Tony pulled away and sat back in his chair and gave a reassuring smirk.

"But I need to know one more thing before we move on."

Peter already knew, it was the very question he had been trying to dodge this whole talk. "I did…I-…I meant to jump and I'm sorry. It was my complete decision, no mind control, no manipulation…I wanted to take my own life last night." His voice broke a bit.

"How do you feel now? Honestly Peter."

"I…" Peter looked down, he knew he had only moments ago promised he wouldn't do it again. But despite Tony's encouraging words and reassuring attempts the boy knew that once he went back to Queens, once he went back to his own apartment with Aunt May, his school and the crime fighting, he would just fall back into all the old feelings again.

Peters lack of answer seemed to be all Tony needed.

"Yeah, you are going to disappear for a week or two."

Peter's stomach dropped at that, "M-Mr. Stark I- I can't miss school and Aunt May will worry-" That's when a bigger realization hit Peter, he was going to get sent to a mental hospital. Suicidal sixteen-year-old Peter locked away for days in a mental ward- no. No… "No! I can't do that…can't do this…please let me go home! Let me-"

Upon hearing Peters heart monitor start beeping wildly Tony set his hand on the kids shoulder for the second time that day. "I'm not going to send you to some mental hospital."

That phrase alone seemed to at least stop the boy from trying to get up, "I-I have to go back."

"Why? So you can repeat this all over again? Peter…Kid…you need help, this is not going to go away just because you survived the first time. I can help you. I have people that can help you too, you have to trust someone Pete, why not me?" Tony couldn't recognize himself in that moment, it was unlike him, he knew that. But this entire situation was unlike the kid, so he supposed they were even at this point.

"…You promise you won't send me away?"

"Yes- I promise. If I thought that would benefit you, you would have already been there by now."

Peter gulped at that, "…ok. I trust you Mr. Stark…I do, but you can't- I mean I want help but you can't help me, you have a life too! I don't want to bur-"

"If you say burden one more time I'm pretty sure I'm going to throw this chair through the window. I want to help you- in fact, after having to catch you only feet away from the cement I think I need some closure too! I need to be sure I see you through this- so really you have to agree for both of our mental health statuses."

Peter chuckled a bit, "well…if it helps you too…"

"That's the spirit kid."


	2. Step Back

**_So! I kept skimming over my future story plans and discovered that instead of doing that I could build onto this story with the same ideas as it would build more character throughout the chapters. Having said that, I present to you, chapter two! Hope you enjoy!_**

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"Severe Recurrent Major Depressive Disorder, Moderate Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Severe PTSD." The petite lady, likely around her late twenties, listed off slowly. She pulled a tuft of her long black hair behind her ear as she looked up at the two exhausted heaps of human beings in front of her.

She couldn't tell which one was worse off, the fidgeting teen that seemed he could burst out of his seat any second, or the uptight billionaire that had his arms crossed so tightly it seemed tension itself was personified.

Peter tried to maintain what he thought appeared to be his semi-calm stature as he shifted uncomfortably in the hard leather chair, the small cramped room was suffocating, he had no idea why, out of all the office space in Starks massive building, they had to pick this tiny white room. He fidgeted a bit, using the ends of his oversized sweater as a distraction. He could feel the psychiatrist and Mr. Starks stares, likely wanting some kind of reaction to what was just said. He tried to fight past the numb waves of exhaustion to conjure up an expression, but to no avail.

Tony finally cleared his throat as he directed his attention back to the psychiatrist. "So, what's the plan?"

"In light of recent events…"

Peter winced at that statement alone, his attempt seemed to be the topic of every conversation he had, had over the past couple of days since it happened. Supposed that wasn't out of the ordinary for this sort of thing though.

"He cannot be left alone, I advise hospitalization- not long term." The psychiatrist quickly added, seeing the blood drain from Peters face, "just until we can be for sure that Peter won't be at risk again."

Tony looked at Peter expectantly, "you heard the professionals opinion…what do you think?"

…

He had tried, he tried so damn hard to hide any and all emotion- hell it had been impossible to react five seconds ago! It seemed as soon as Tony asked though, Peter was reduced to a sniffling mess of tears. " _I don't know…_ " It was barley a whisper. Never had the boy felt so alone, so torn, hopeless and ashamed.

An audible sigh could be heard as Peter felt a hand on his shoulder giving a reassuring squeeze. "Well you are in luck because I think I have a solution to the whole hospital deal. I already promised I wasn't going to send you off somewhere- I can get the hospital to come here."

Peter looked up, slight disbelief in his features, "seriously?"

Stark handed him a Kleenex as the boy tried to quietly swipe away his tears, "I don't see why not, this building is one of the most technologically advanced in New York, it's definitely secure enough to keep you here."

The psychiatrist made her voice known at this, "This would be a wise choice, often times It is hard to give psych inpatients the proper individual attention they need while they are on the unit. The only flaw in this plan is the lack of group therapy opportunity, but with your…unique background you wouldn't be able to talk about your experiences without compromising your identity anyways."

"Hey! You're in luck, I happen to know several Avengers that are pretty messed up- I'm sure they would give anything to help you Pete, maybe we could set up a few powwows with the team. Call it a group building exercise or something."

The kind lady across the desk folded her hands on top of the now closed laptop in front of her, "I have a team of psychiatric nurse's, social workers and therapist on my unit at the hospital, we can arrange replacements for them at certain intervals of the day so they can travel here to check in on Peter."

Tony clapped, "perfect! Kid, what do you think?"

"I- well…what about…y'know…school?"

"We can get you private tutors to come in throughout the week, although you will not be tutored more than two hours a day. Too much stress of old triggers and stressors are not going to do you any good if you want to get out of here and be stable anytime soon. Remember that when you get out you will be in the right mind to get caught up in school rather than leaving now and falling further behind."

Peter nodded and took in every word the psychiatrist said, "that makes sense…what about…aunt May? A-and the kids at school, what will I-"

Tony couldn't take it anymore, "Kid. Let the adults figure this crap out, you focus on you and getting yourself better, ok?"

The teen nodded quietly, Tony and the kind psychiatrist woman finished up, Peter supposed he should have probably listened to the rest of the conversation, but his mind rarely held on to things more than a few minutes nowadays.

"Alright, seems reasonable, do you think you can agree to those standards Peter? …Kid?" Tony looked over only to find the kid staring blankly at a wall straight ahead of him, he seemed to be lost in deep thought. Stark sighed, "this will get easier, right?" He asked the psychiatrist.

"At first? No, not at all, in fact this week will likely be hell. You need to watch this boy, I have the best of the best to ensure that any patient under my care will have the best opportunities to not only stabilize them, but give them the courage and motivation to make a recovery. My therapists and social workers have very specific methods to how they counsel patients both in PTSD, anxiety and depression."

"Ok- so can you, I dunno, make all that simpler? For me, I mean I am the one that is going to have to answer all of his aunt's questions and trust me there will be a lot."

"I wouldn't dwell on the details Mr. Stark, I will be personally talking to Peters Aunt as well, it's important that we are all on the same page. There is one more thing I want to bring up before I leave to meet with her though. Medication. What is your opinion on that? It could very well benefit Peter with his symptoms."

Tony felt his heart drop at the question, "Meds? Like…anti-depressants?"

"Not just limited to that, there are a lot of things we could try that would make it easier for Peter to cope with what he is feeling. There are a multitude of sleeping PRNs that double as antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications."

Stark rubbed at his face nervously, "I think his aunt will be able to answer that one better than me…I just…he's young…also, it might be a good time to mention she has no idea what has happened."

"Excuse me? You said this event took place two days ago- how does his legal guardian not know that he tried to take his own life?"

"That's complicated! See, his aunt thinks he is just…kind of training with the avengers for the weekend! She- obviously she knows about his powers and all but...yea not about this."

"Right. So I will NOT be meeting with her tonight, but we will be having a family session in the morning instead of Peter having his first one to one therapy session. This has to be talked about immediately to the guardian Mr. Stark- you know that."

"Of course, I'll speak to her about it tonight- right after this. Until then…" Tony looked a bit sadly over to the still unmoving boy as his stare had shifted to the large window that gave a perfect view of the city.

"Do not let him out of your sight Mr. Stark, don't pry too much either- his therapy and strict scheduling starts at 7AM tomorrow morning, please make sure he gets at least eight hours of sleep tonight."

Tony quickly stood and shook the woman's hand as she gathered her things from the oversized desk and turned towards the door, "You got it. Thanks again for coming in so short notice doctor." Stark waved the lady off, hesitantly turning towards Peter. "Hey Kid, it's almost supper time, how about we order out tonight? Your aunt hottie is going to be coming soon- it's going to get a little crazy so let's get you some food before then."

"…Mr. Stark?"

The man shifted uncomfortably from where he stood, Peter slowly turned towards him and managed to look up, tear struck eyes met concerned ones. "Am I broken?"

"Kid- Peter…no. No and I'm going to prove that to you. Give it time, but for now, let's go order some food. What are you in the mood for? Chinese? Pizza?"

"Hm…do you have any Kid Lunchables?"

Tony stared unbelievably at the kid, "I..I don't even have to know what that is, but I am certain that it is in no way a balanced meal like you need."

"Oh…"

Looking over at the yet again silent teen Tony sighed angrily, getting out his phone he dialed Happy's number. "Get me all the Kid Lunchables you can find in the local store's- Happy I have no idea what it is that's what the cashier is for!"

After quickly hanging up, Tony went straight back to his uncharacteristicly caring voice. "Come on…lets go sit in the living room, get out of this damn stuffy room."

Peter nodded, slowly following his idol down the long hallway and into the oversized glass elevator, the teen looked carelessly over the city landscape as the elevator climbed to the top of the tall building. As soon as the elevator opened the two stepped out, Peter soon fell behind Tony, coming to a complete stop.

"We have to tell her, don't we? I caught that much."

Tony sighed, "Unfortunately yea, can't have you missing for weeks and lie to your aunt all that time. Besides…she has a right to know, she cares about you Pete."

"Yea…yea your right." No tears sprang forward at the thought of having to tell Aunt May about what really happened two days ago. Peter silently thanked the sudden wave of numbness as Tony dialed the number on his personal cell phone, normally FRIDAY could have easily dialed the number on speaker but the two thought it best to keep things quiet.

"Hello?"

"H-hey May."

"Peter! You know, I would appreciate a little bit of a warning the next time you decide to train at the pent house for the weekend. I almost called the cops! I was worried sick and-"

"May."

Her voice dropped, "…what's wrong?"

"When can you make it up here? We need to talk."

"Peter I-…I can be there right now if I need to be."

"Ok…I-It, I mean it's just a little important. There's no need to rush-"

Tony yanked the phone away from the kid, "It is urgent, I'll send a car your way, should be there in twenty minutes."

"Ok- Is Peter in danger? You are both scaring me!" She sounded frustrated, Tony couldn't blame her.

"No- not now, I just thought it was best if we all caught up on the last few days."

"…Ok. I guess I'll be there soon then."

"Yep! See ya then." Tony ran a hand down his face as soon as he hung up.

Peter looked down, once more fiddling with the ends of his sleeves, "sorry."

"Don't be- at all, it's just stressful talking to your aunt, she is kind of intimidating."

After talking to Aunt May Tony had called a local gourmet pizza place and ordered a large pizza, figuring it was best to have something for Peters aunt when she got there. Peter had ended up falling asleep on the couch by the time Happy arrived, arms full of the most artificial food Tony Stark had ever seen.

Peter woke in a slight panic as Happy dropped the grocery bags on the end of the couch, earning a slight glare from Tony as he saw Peter jump.

Happy scoffed, "These look disgusting, I got some weird pizza ones, they had a lot of nacho and cracker ones too…I just got five of each. I hope that's alright." His eyes softened as they met with Peters.

"Yea! Thanks Happy, sorry to drag you out just to get these for me, if I had known you had to go through that trouble I wouldn't have-"

"Kid, it's no trouble- trust me, Stark has called me in much worse conditions. This was a treat compared to the usual."

Peter cracked a small smile as he started to open one of the nacho lunchables, his smile slowly turned into a worried scowl as the elevator made a sound. His aunt being kindly escorted out and lead over to the massive couch. She stared expectantly at the three males as her escort excused themselves and stalked away.

Happy took this opportunity to also escape as he said his farewells and rushed towards the elevators, nearly running into the pizza delivery guy on his way out.

Tony quickly took the pizza and paid the pizza delivery boy, wondering why the hell his front desk staff even let him come up. "So! How about we discuss things over some pizza in the kitchen?"

Aunt May folded her arms, "that would be great."

Both Tony and Peter stole a glance towards each other, there was no way this was going to go as smooth as they had hoped.

* * *

 ** _Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know what you think in the reviews, I need some direction! There are so many avenues to take this story._**


	3. Recovery

**This took a bit longer to update than intended- apologies! Hope you enjoy all the same, pretty chill chapter, an overall lead up to the climax kinda deal.**

* * *

The talk had been much longer than Stark had anticipated, he didn't really know what he was expecting to happen. Obviously Aunt May was very upset, she had every right to be.

Tony mentally kicked himself every time she started to cry and hug Peter. His tired mind was plagued with guilt, what right did he think he had to keep this from her? Why had he waited so long to tell her about this serious situation?

The more he thought about it, the more he tried to reason with himself. He hadn't been thinking that night or the couple of days following the kid's attempt- that much was true. To be fair, his judgment was a little clouded at the time, he had been just as worried and upset as Aunt May was presently. It only made sense that his actions and decisions in that time weren't the most thought out. However, it was still no excuse, this was the kid's legal guardian for crying out loud! Tony should have known better, he knew that all too well.

Finally, after three hours of explaining, expressing and venting, things dissipated as Aunt May took a deep breath. "I am ok with you staying here Peter, if the psychiatrist said that you would benefit more here than home or a regular hospital then so be it…I just want you to be ok, understand me?" She took her emotionless nephew's face in her hands, her eyes brimming with tears, Peter had not cried once the entire conversation making both adults feel on edge.

Peter could not look her in the eye, he hadn't the whole three hours. "I'm going to try to get better, for you-"

"No Peter. No…you have to get better for yourself- use me as motivation but please…please do this for yourself. You are such a talented young man, I wish you could see that Peter! I-I would give anything for you to see that!"

As May's voice neared hysteria, Tony decided to step in, "The psychiatrist wanted to have a family meeting tomorrow, she can explain all this a lot better than I can.…but if it's any comfort, I can guarantee this place is and will be the safest place for Peter to be. I also have a room that you can stay in tonight if you would like- so you wouldn't have to deal with the drive in the morning."

May nodded, a sad and exhausted smile graced her reddened face, "Of course, I'll need to call my coworker and trade shifts with her so I can be here but- that's no trouble at all. This is worth it."

Peter shrunk down in his seat, feeling the all too familiar guilt creep into his mind _. 'Great job idiot, not only did you make her cry the entire night, but you have managed to mess with her schedule too. You aren't worth it at all, they are all blind.'_

"Right. Well, it's getting late and I kind of promised the psych lady that Peter would get at least eight hours of sleep-so! I'll show you to your rooms." Tony made it a point to drop Peter off at his room first, the room was directly in between the guest bedroom where May would sleep and Tony's room. "Here you are kid, need anything before you head to bed?"

The teen solemnly shook his head as he entered the room, saying goodnight with mock happiness then softly shutting the door- not before Tony and May both assured him he could come to either of them at any point if he needed them.

May immediately looked over at Tony when the door shut, "Ok, now can we really talk?"

He nodded, fully expecting to have another hour-long conversation. "Let's talk here." Tony led May to a random block of hallway far enough from Peter's room so he couldn't hear- even with his super hearing. They sat on the leather sofas, both adults looked out the massive glass window, to the busy streets and city lights below.

May broke, "I tried. I tried so damn hard to get him the help he needed. I saw him going down but kept telling myself that he would be ok! That everything would work out! I had no idea he was experiencing so much death and…and hate. I don't know what I was expecting, especially with the knowledge of him being Spiderman. I was too naïve, and look where it got him…has he been like this since you…since you caught him?"

Tony forced himself to look into the emotional woman's eyes, he was hesitant, but he knew that he needed this talk as much as she did. As uncomfortable as emotions were, he hadn't had anyone to turn to at all since the incident took place. With Pepper traveling, Happy having his own errands to run _for_ Pepper, and Bruce running around keeping Stark's med bay in check, the man had not had a single soul to confide in.

Those were excuses not to talk about it though, he internally knew that any one of those people would drop everything and be there for him if he needed them. That was not in Tony's nature though, and in truth he wouldn't be talking about it now if he didn't have to, but he did, so he decided to just let go and tell the one other person that likely felt the same and worse.

"There are tiny moments where he is Peter again, they are rare and have been rare. He gets frustrated really easily, mostly with himself. Any tiny feeling of guilt or flaw sends him reeling again."

May nodded, "He wasn't himself last week…he was so quiet, and anytime I brought it up he insisted that he was tired. I believed him! Mostly because he looked like death, his therapist insisted it would pass but…obviously she was wrong."

Stark scoffed, "yea- looked her up, really can't believe she is even certified with her past."

A small broken voice made Tony instantly regret his wording, "It was the best I could do…"

Tony looked over quickly as he heard May's voice crack again, his discomfort level rose considerably. Damn. He wasn't good at this, none of this was in his field of knowledge at all. He sensed he would be a fucking expert by the end of it though.

He quickly changed the subject to a more positive note, "I'm really impressed you even got him to go to therapy- that's a feat in itself. You _did_ do the best you could, honestly that is probably what kept him at bay a lot longer."

May wiped away her tears once more, her make up now non- existent. "How have you been holding up?"

"I- well…" What a great question, he hadn't really had time to think about it. It had been survival, bookings and appointments ever since Peter's injuries had cleared up, the man had stayed by the kid's side most of the past couple of days now. It had only taken a day for Peter's broken nose to heal, his wrists and ankle had only taken a few hours before they were back in full use-

"Mr. Stark?" Mays voice snapped the tired man's drifting.

"Hm? Oh- I've been alright. Just want him to feel better."

The same sad smile appeared making Tony squirm, he understood why Peter was so secretive towards his Aunt now, it hurt his soul to see her so defeated. He felt like he was under a magnifying glass, like she could see right through him.

"You and Peter are very much alike you know." With that she got up and half stretched, "You need sleep-I'm going to go make a few calls before it gets too late, goodnight Mr. Stark- and thank you. I know I was furious at first but…he trusts you so much, if anyone can help him through this I think it's you. I am thankful he has a male role model to look up to."

With that she was gone, leaving Stark to sink down into the sofa overlooking the city, her words stormed in his mind.

 _'_ _Of all fucking role models to have, he picks the most unqualified man in New York City to follow. I mean, I knew he looked up to me, but this is completely different. He needs me…I have to follow through. Don't fuck this up Stark.'_

As he reflected on the conversation, he wondered briefly why in the hell May had ended it so quickly. She was bound to have a lot more questions- however, now that he thought about it, he could only imagine how awful he looked from lack of sleep. She had pity on him for tonight, besides, there would be plenty of time for questions in the morning he supposed.

So with that, Tony went to his room to attempt to get rest, hesitating at Peters door, resisting the urge to check in on the kid even though it had only been half an hour ago he said goodnight. He decided to pass, he had extensive amounts of cameras in all the rooms of the building anyways, the kid would be fine.

Meanwhile, unbeknown to anyone in the penthouse, Peter Parker successfully fished out a small blade in the extra jeans May had brought him from home. His hands shook as he went to his personal bathroom, knowing there were likely cameras everywhere he decided to wait as he stashed it away under the bathroom sink in a small crevice. He would have to assess his new situation before letting himself give in to the one thing he firmly believed would hold his sanity these next few weeks.

It was a big risk, the teen knew that if he got caught with this small piece of metal alone he would never get any alone time whatsoever. Not to mention being stuck in confinement even longer than before.

'That won't happen.' Was Peter Parkers last thought as he drifted to sleep, confident the next few weeks were going to go smoothly.

* * *

The next morning came early for everyone, no one felt they got any sleep, the nine hours that had passed begged to differ.

After a rushed breakfast, May, Tony and Peter found themselves sitting in a rather large room, Stark had insisted they not be in the same crammed room. Opting instead for what usually was the massive room he held most of his press meetings at. Instead of fifty seats lined across the room though, there were four very well cushioned chairs, a small coffee table centered between the four chairs.

The meeting was strangley mundane with talks of therapies, groups, staffing, just a general run down of everything. Until the medication issue came back up, to which May swiftly left in the doctors hands.

"I would like to see if therapy will be enough for now, but the moment you think he really could benefit and still function with medication? I am fine with that as long as he is." May finished. She and Peter shared a look in that moment, an appreciative one, Tony was astounded by her reasoning. "Depression runs in the family, I know therapy can't fix it all, there is still a chemical imbalance so…let's just take it slow."

From there the meeting wrapped up, everyone seemed to be on the same page by the end of it and even Peter seemed a little more at ease with everything that was said.

Tony shoulders relaxed a little as the meeting concluded, maybe, just maybe, things would work out easier than planned.


	4. Let Me Help You

**Trigger Warning: Self Harm**

* * *

Much to Tony's delight, the past two weeks sailed by smoothly, the kid had been going to one on one therapy and seemed to be improving. He went to three different types of therapy throughout the day, DBT for the impulses, CBT for stressors and EMDR for PTSD. Tony had tried to pick the kids brain on all the different types he went to and how they were different.

Peter gave him the briefest summary he could imagine, "we do a lot of worksheets for DBT, coping devices, breathing and grounding techniques. In CBT we just talk about what things make me uncomfortable or angry- it's kind of nice just to talk about it to be honest. EMDR-"

Tony noted a visible shiver go through the kid as he looked down.

"EMDR is hell."

The billionaire didn't press the kid any further- although, upon hearing the alarming description Tony did make a call to the psychiatrist right after the kid was out of his sight.

"Mr. Stark, it is quite normal for EMDR therapy to be the least favorited. It is a therapy that generally delves a bit deeper than the others, usually the client is put into an almost controlled flashback if you will, induced by a series of visual movements. It is a therapy that takes a very long time to process safely, and although it is least desired, it is very effective in reducing stress and triggers."

"Right…makes sense. Thanks doc!" Tony hung up quickly, he had bothered the poor woman so much since this all started. However, she never showed any sign of annoyance towards his questions, to which he was grateful. Tony hated having to ask anything, he was usually the one with the answers, the one that could fix things. It wasn't everyday he had to actually trust someone else with knowledge that he didn't already have.

Stark sighed, the few moments the kid got when he wasn't in intensive therapy or tutoring, he spent in his room or the lab alone. (But still watched closely on the cameras) He figured the kid would need some space since everything was so busy, it was too busy.

After a moment of seemingly being lost in thought Tony clapped suddenly, the kid had barley left the pent house since all this began, Stark decided it would be best if he took the kid out. Central Park, maybe some ice cream, stop by a comic book shop for the kid, get some supper- they'd make a day out of it! Some fresh air would suit them both.

So, he set off, determined to break the mundane schedule both he and Peter had fallen into, upon knocking on the kid's door however, his plan slightly halted as curiosity and slight concern sparked in him. "Hey Pete, how bout' we go out today?"

No response.

Concern ate at his gut as he pushed the door open more, "Peter?"

No sight of the kid on the bed as Stark peeked in hesitantly, he then opened the door entirely and rushed in as he realized the kid was nowhere to be seen. His senses calmed as he saw the bathroom door was closed.

He knocked on the bathroom door, making sure to keep his voice calm and collected despite feeling rather panicked, "hey Pete, while you're in there why don't you freshen up, we'll hit the city today, get a break."

"U-um, I'm actually really tired Mr'tark, I think I j'st need to rest."

Nothing much more needed to be said in that moment as Tony heard the boy's slurring words, he had kept him at his base for one sole reason: to keep the kid safe. Right now was one of those times to act and apologize later if it was truly nothing. So, without further ado, "FRIDAY, door, now."

He hadn't known what to expect when he walked through that bathroom door, perhaps the kid trying to change out of his Spiderman suit before Stark could catch him trying to sneak out, maybe even the kid crying and trying to hide his emotions as usual. Really anything but the sight that lie in front of him.

An unflushed toilet filled with crimson stained toilet paper, a razor of unknown origin peeking from a rag sitting on the bathtubs edge along with what looked to be a web fluid canister sitting directly beside the rag, and finally, a dazed teenager on the floor leaning against the farthest wall in the bathroom, trying unsuccessfully to pull his sleeves down over the bloodied mess on his arms. Tears stained his face as his paling skin became quite evident to Tony.

Breathing seemed to be a very hard concept in that instant, "Peter…"

Not much of a response resounded, what was the kid supposed to say? Obviously, he had been caught, as Tony neared the teen though, he suddenly doubted the slightly uncomfortable situation was the issue of silence. "Hey, you with me? Because I kind of need answers before I flip out entirely!"

He tried, he really tried to keep his voice calm but the more of the sight that Tony took in, the more anxiety flooded his system. Things were going great, why this? Why now? How the hell had this happened? What next? Was he even getting better at all? Would he ever…?

Breathe.

" _FRIDAY_ , you know what to do." Tony dropped to his knees beside the dazed teen, tugging Peter's hands away from his sleeves and rolling the sleeves back up so he could get a better look. "Kid? Hey, look at me."

Peter simply stared forward as more and more tears gathered at the corners of his eyes, voice cracking, "I-I can't be like you Mr. Stark. I can't be great, let alone normal- I'm just an awkward kid from Queens that should have died when a radioactive spider bit him, not this…none of this…I-I'm not Avengers material, I'm nothing. Please. I'm a lost cause, those doctors, nurses, therapist, they can't fix me or any of this. " Peter's eyes slowly rolled back as he finished, his entire body slumping over and falling to the side until Tony swiftly caught the boy by his shoulders and held him in place. Blood started to pool around the kid's sides, dripping from his forearms.

"No Peter, that not true-Kid! Stay with me! Son of a bitch- there's so much blood, how the hell is there so much blood? He should be healing…"

"Tony! Holy shit- what happened?" Bruce set his heavy medical bag directly beside Peter, quickly calling for backup as he kneeled on Peter's other side. "How long has he been unresponsive?"

Bruce looked up from his work in trying to get the initial wounds cleaned enough to asses any major arterial damage, his friend was not here, Tony was not in the room as his breathing hitched and he became pale. Bruce raised his voice considerably as he continued his work. "Tony. My team will be here soon, I need any and all information you can give me so we can help Peter. You have to breathe, focus, I'm not going to let his kid die."

Right, he had to push through, for Peter. "He- I just found him, I was just talking to the kid not even a half hour ago. I was going to take him out for the day and I came in and found him like this! He just now passed out."

"Any idea why he isn't healing at all? I've treated him enough to know that even his worse wounds have never bled this much."

Tony shook his head, "I have no fucking clue Bruce I-"Suddenly the shiny reflection of the web canister sitting directly behind Bruce on the tubs edge caught his eye. "Son of a bitch." By the miracle of God, Tony willed himself to his feet and rushed over to the canister.

A stretcher was heard nearing the bathroom, along with nurses running alongside it, "I'm going to run samples of this, I'll drop some by the medical lab in case you all can find what I don't."

Bruce nodded, never taking his eyes off Peter as he continued working feverishly.

Tony took the canister in his hands- along with the rag and blade as well, immediately setting off to work on finding out what in the hell Peter had been working on. Guilt plagued his senses as he stumbled into his lab and set up his workshop.

He had given Peter time alone, he had given this boy lab time- Tony ran a hand through his messy hair, he should have known cameras weren't enough, he had watched Peter every second from the cameras view when the kid went to the lab. This whole time Peter had assured him he was working on a new formula for the web shooters, and Tony had believed him! Why wouldn't he?

'This is all my fault, who gives a suicidal person access to a lab? Anything could have happened! What if he got this blade from the lab?' He brought the small piece of metal up to the massive magnifying glass in front of him, the shape was familiar- but from what? Upon further inspection his stomach dropped, "its…from a pencil sharpener…" He shook his head in disbelief, that was a question for the kid later. He continued on to opening the canister and pouring the mystery liquid into multiple vials. It definitely wasn't web shooter liquid.

After an hour Tony held the complete list of what he was now 99.9% certain a mutagen that Peter specially made just to make the cuts not heal. He rushed to the medical lab, vial in hand, it was also an hour of not knowing what the hell was happening and rushing to find an antidote to counteract the beyond hazardous concoction.

As soon as he entered the lab he could tell that Bruce was at a loss, "Please tell me that you have more of an idea as to what the hell this stuff is we found in his blood stream, because the medical teams haven't scratched the surface."

"Not only do I know, I also have this." Stark held up the vial filled with the liquid that would, hopefully, counteract Peter's homemade poison.

"Thank God." Bruce breathed with relief as he took the vial and filled a syringe, carefully inserting it into the IV. He then pulled up two chairs beside the hospital bed and closed the glass unit doors, Tony sat solemnly beside the scientist as Bruce began.

"We have done everything in our power to stop the bleeding, he knew what he was doing Tony, there is no doubt about it. The Radial artery, which stems off the Brachial artery, was damaged partially but not severed by any means. Still, that is not an easy thing to do, let alone by your own hand. He did his research, and not only that, but he somehow put together a substance that counteracted his healing abilities! He…he might have counteracted more of his powers, hopefully this antidote can fix something. I'll run blood tests immediately to see if there are any changed cells."

"Thank you Bruce…I can't believe he figured out how to counteract his own mutation. Kids smart, any other time I would be impressed, I can't really show too much praise to him over this one though. I just…damnit!" Tony stood quickly and paced, the same rage and desperation seeped into his saddened voice. "Does this mean that these two weeks meant nothing? If…if I can't keep him safe here, I can't rightfully keep him here again after this. I just don't know where to go from here."

Bruce thought on that, he cared for Peter but not in the sense Tony did, the boy and billionare had a special bond. He picked his words wisely, "I'm just as surprised actually, he seemed to be genuinely improving. But you know…just because this bad thing happened doesn't particularly mean he hasn't improved Tony. I say you talk to him one on one about it first. You are the only one he feels completely comfortable around."

Stark scoffed, "he would probably be three times better off without me in his life. I am the one that seeked this kid out and introduced him to all of this in the first place. I should have never-"

"I'm going to stop you right there, because it was quite obvious that even before you found this kid he had made up his mind. I mean, what teenager gets bitten by a radioactive spider and just decides to become a superhero with it? He choose this, no one else, you gave him an outlet- a much safer one at that. He would have found himself in the same situation he is in now regardless of your interference, the only difference is that he has a way better support system now. That's you Tony."

"…I don't know Bruce, he doesn't seem to listen to me. I don't think I'm that big of an influence on him."

Bruce ran a hand over his face, "he's ganna kill me over this one..."

"What?"

"Alright. Remember when you went to that small Stark conference this past weekend? It was like a three hour long meeting, and you came back as soon as you could."

Tony nodded.

"Well. Since Peter couldn't be in his room or the lab while you were gone, he hung out with me. Now I'm not sure why someone that can turn into a man killing monster with no control seems like a person that would be the perfect candidate for a heart to heart- but I knew as soon as he walked through those doors he had something on his mind. He is kind of like you in that way."

"I've been hearing that a lot lately."

"He asked me if you thought he was a burden, and that he felt guilty from holding you back from your Stark meetings. I tried my best to tell him that it was really a blessing because you hate those meetings with a passion, but I don't think he bought anything I said. He feels tremendous guilt, but he really wants to talk to you- I mean really talk, he's holding so much back I can tell."

Tony looked even more stressed at this point, pacing faster, "I'm the last person he should be looking up to! Hell, I am the personification of a mess!"

"Tony, look, I don't know if you have ever noticed that light in his eyes when he talks to you, it's purely reserved for you, so…if anything please don't let your self doubt keep you from seeing what a great kid you have. He loves you and you love him, you are both just way too much alike to see or admit it. Let alone express it, I think that what is holding both his recovery back and your full understanding of this kid."

Tony stared ahead then slowly took a seat beside the scientist again, patting Bruce's forearm. A slight appreciative smile gracing his usual distraught features. "Are you sure you're not a therapist?"

Bruce shrugged, "I winged that to be honest, just stating facts."

Stark rolled his eyes, "Can you not kill the little moment we just had? Because it was pretty touching, I think I even got a little tear in my eye."

He laughed, getting up with a yawn, "Yea well, you should rest before he wakes up-"

The heart monitor immediately picked up at this, Bruce snapped his gaze towards the monitor in surprise. "Looks like your antidote worked pretty quick."

Checking the blood-stained gauze, Bruce threw away the material completely as he cleaned the rest of the mess off of Peters arms. The emergency stiches had dissolved completely, scars were hardly seen as Peters skin was smooth to the touch. "He is all healed up, I think I'll keep him overnight though, just to monitor his blood regulation and cell count."

"Good call, I'll contact everyone later but right now, I think it's time to really talk." Tony's stomach turned just at saying the sentence.

"You got this Tony, I'll be outside if you need anything, I'll go ahead and get these blood samples looked at in the meantime." Bruce gave him one last reassuring wave and was gone.

Peter came in and out of consciousness for the next twenty minutes, giving the already nervous billionaire watching expectantly time to formulate the perfect advice and support he was going to give the kid once he woke up.

As Peter finally came to and looked over, Tony noted the way he deflated, his eyes heavy with guilt and something indescribable to the man. A look that should have been well beyond the teens years. Tony decided to skip the usual banter, all the cushioned talk and mindless lecturing.

"Kid, let me help you."


	5. In the End

_**Thanks to everyone who has stuck around for this slowly updated story! I appreciate it very much and can't wait to write more in the future!~ Please read and drop a comment on what you thought of the story overall!**_

* * *

Peter looked away as fast as he had glanced over, his shoulders sagged as he leaned heavily against the wall of pillows behind him. If Tony hadn't been by his side when the kid woke up he would have thought the teen hadn't slept in days.

"You've got a choice." Tony started, already hating how he sounded too much like his own father. "You can either level with me and really talk right now, or I can get the best mental health facility in the country on the phone and admit you there."

This seemed to finalize something in that foggy mind of Peters as he slumped back even more, his frame started to shake as tears stung at his tired eyes. His voice certainly did not betray his features as a small, cracked mumble resounded, "You promised…"

"Yea, you're right, I did promise! But that was before you decided to go out of your way to create a poison to counteract your healing abilities which, by the way, Bruce says could have permanently damaged some of your other mutations- not to mention kill you completely! That promise was also far before I found you laying in the fucking bathroom floor half dead. So, all bets are off for that _promise_ unless you can start from the beginning and let me in here." Tony's voice had died considerably as he finished what had started out to be a lecture.

Upon getting no immediate reaction Tony added, "whatever negative thoughts you have towards talking to me about what's going on- forget them. That's the depression, that's the part that's lying to you, you are not burdening me."

"Yes I am! Yes I am, ok?! I am burdening everyone just by being here! I was trying to do you a favor! I- I'm not going to be the same, I can't be the same Peter everyone is wanting me to be. You are all going to be disappointed in the end, Peter is dead."

The room fell silent, Tony couldn't find the right words fast enough, he wanted his advice to fix everything. The same epiphany that had hit him earlier came back to him as he got up and laid a hand on Peter's shoulder. Reluctantly, the teen looked up at Tony in a bit of surprise, slightly wincing as he expected a full-on lecture/rant to hit him.

Tony looked at his watch all while keeping the same heavy hand on Peter's shoulder, "Time of death, 3:28PM."

Confused eyes locked with Tony's, trying to read the man's expression. "So, the person you thought you were is dead- officially now. Every former perception you had on the world has been forced to change in less than a few months, problems you faced then pale to what you face in one day now. Frankly, I wish I could say this is the last death of yourself you will have to witness, I wish I could assure you that you won't face bigger problems that will threaten everything you are, but I can't. Nothing gets easier kid, that's why you have-"

" That's why I have to become stronger, I know. Go to therapy and get on medications to get stronger and learn how to cope with everything better…I know."

"No. That's why you have me."

Peter's eyes grew, his next venomous words died on his tongue as Tony Stark pulled him into the biggest hug Peter had ever received from the man.

"I've had to hold more than a couple of my own personal funerals, the true Tony Stark died years ago, I left him in that God forsaken cave in Iraq. Along the way other parts of him slowly died and I shed them off, leaving them where the worse tragedies played out and never looked back. This is no different, you are facing traumas no teenager your age could even imagine existed, so yes, this might be the first death of Peter Parker. But don't let this be the final act kid, your killing off the exterior here, the real deal is in there somewhere. You have to give it time, it's confusing as hell right now, I'm sure, but…I believe in you so damn much."

Peter looked as though he was unsuccessfully holding in a breath as Tony finished and sat on the chair beside him, waiting for a hopefully positive response, he wasn't used to pouring his heart out like this. It felt risky, stupid, but most importantly, it felt _right_.

"You really think I'm not broken? I…I have tried to kill myself twice in the past few weeks alone. I'm a mess…"

"You are adjusting- and that's not just me giving you blind hope here kid, I'm serious. I had my own bout of not caring whether I lived or died. I worried Pepper, Rhodes, Happy…everyone around me knew I wasn't ok. But I was just like you."

Peter stayed silent until he bowed his head, "...at first I really was hopeful I would recover without a problem, even though I had kept the blade since Aunt May came to visit the very first night of all this, I just felt safer having it with me. I…I have been relying on it ever since the Vulture incident and I guess I got a little too dependent. It had started out as a desperate last resort kind of thing for dealing with the flashbacks or nightmares at times. After a while though, it became the only thing I could think of as soon as something went wrong."

"What made this time different? Because I know you didn't think up the little anti-mutagen overnight. That was a complex mix of several chemicals, it took some thinking."

"Yea…to be honest I didn't even expect it to work, the calculations were loose."

Tony decided to hold his tongue as his anger over took him once more as Peter shrugged off the fact that he basically just guessed as he was making a literal poison that could have done anything in the end.

"What made this time different…I think that's just it Mr. Stark. It wasn't really different, I used to cut whenever something went horribly wrong. After a while though, I would do it anytime I felt any negative emotion at all, I just want it all to go away, at any cost. I'm tired of dealing with this, I'm tired of putting everyone in such a bad position- but…y-you really think it's the depression making me think that?"

"Without a doubt."

Peter sighed, "Mr. Stark…how did you make it through everything you have been through?"

"I…"

 _Distanced myself from everyone, pretended I was fine, told everyone lies so they wouldn't worry, acted recklessly until I reached my breaking point_ -

"I finally accepted that I can't do everything on my own. It took a long time to come to that conclusion but bit by bit I found people who really gave a damn about me and well…that is what saved me."

Peter slumped forward, "You make it sound so easy."

 _Of course I make it sound easy, my damn pride is getting in the way, c'mon Tony the kid needs you to be real with him._

"It wasn't. In fact, I'm pretty sure I rather fight Hulk four more times then have to go through any of that emotional turmoil again. Flashbacks, crippling guilt, and panic attacks were kicking my ass for years. What helped me was giving it all a name but not getting too caught up in the diagnosis…PTSD, anxiety, depression…it helped to know those things were what I needed to face in a sense…figuring them out and how they all connected and played off each other…that took me years to figure out but it made everything easier. I'll be the first to say that it doesn't go away completely- thankfully your friends and family never do either."

"Mr. Stark that's…I didn't know that. That's…kind of a relief- I mean! Not that you have those things or had to face all of that- that's awful but…you know what I mean. Wow… I guess in my head I put all this pressure on getting completely better these next couple of weeks."

Tony looked down in guilt, had he unconsciously put that expectation on this kid? Why the hell did it take the teen almost dying to draw this conversation? "No, that's not the case at all Pete, you are here to get on your feet. After that, you can start slow on the whole spidering thing again, get school work done, the whole deal. We just need a couple of weeks to figure everything out, find some kind of ground work and lay it all out before sending you back out there."

"What if it all just comes back though? If I fall again?" Peter couldn't look up now, he felt too vulnerable and he knew he sounded too much like his age. Just a scared teen.

"You might, I won't lie, but this time we have so much information and lead way then before. And don't think that your counseling sessions end as soon as you leave, Happy will personally pick you up at least once a week and bring you here to work more with the therapist. We have you going to three different types right now, but as soon as we rule out what helps most the psychiatrist said we'll stick with that mostly."

Peter brightened a bit at that, "So the…the help isn't going away?"

"No. Not in the slightest, although you might not be so thankful in a few months when you start feeling better and want us all off your ass."

Peter shrugged, "I've faced worse."

Stark smiled, Bruce then came into the room holding a clip board with a mound of papers clipped to it, "good news, we have almost completely flushed the toxic substances out and it seems like your mutated cells are well on their way to their normal levels."

This seemed to relax the room considerably, "However, I'm under strict orders from your psychiatrist to keep you in the med bay for another 48 hours due to this being an attempt…she said she was on her way to discuss further steps."

"She's not going to let me stay here." Peter looked down, "I deserve that, I shouldn't have been so stupid."

Tony was torn on what to do, he really didn't know where the kid was going to improve more at. He would have a hell of a time trying to convince the doctor that even after this incident he could keep Peter safe.

Bruce took the silence as a cue, "I think you should stay."

Both looked up in surprise, "this situation shouldn't be the deciding factor…obviously we all learned from it. I just- well it's easier to get better if you are in a comfortable place with familiar faces. When I was facing my own issues with the hulk all I wanted was a familiar setting. Once I settled in hiding, I found peace and a routine- I think that's what you need Peter."

The billionaire listened intently to Bruce, it wasn't every day the scientist ever really got personal, he must have taken a liking to the kid to be so open with them. He looked to Peter who was just as entranced with Bruce's advice as Tony himself was.

"You actually trust me enough to let me stay?" Peter asked quietly.

"I do- I also trust that Tony and I can set more specific limits regarding this situation. In the end though…you have to make the call Peter. If you truly think something like this will happen again or you don't feel safe enough here, do the right thing."

Peter nodded, now deep in thought as Bruce gave Tony a knowing look and exited the room quietly.

That's when the all too familiar petite woman came in, her face had little expression as she sat down on the chair next to Tony. "I assume you have talked about the next steps, before we talk about that though, how do you feel?" Her voice held sympathy, relaxing the two anxious beings in the room.

"I'm a lot better, everything's healed and back to normal for the most part…I'm sorry…this was really reckless and stupid-"

"Relapses are the most normal part of recovery Peter. That is why I am willing to give you a second chance to stay here instead of forcing you to report to a hospital for a 72 hour hold. I truly believe you are going to do better here. The most important question now is: do you think you can be safe here? Honestly."

Nervous hands twitched as Peter looked anywhere but up at the two adults, remembering the warmth of Tony's hug and both Bruce and Starks words to him he took a breath. "I…want to stay. I want to be comfortable, and I know I would be here. I have the best mentor and my own one on one staff here, everything I need is right here."

Tony relaxed at that, looking now at the psychiatrist whom nodded and took out a single piece of paper, handing it to Peter as she explained. "I'm starting you on a very low dose of an anti-depressant drug that I have already talked with your Aunt about. We had discussed this certain drug in our own one on one meeting when we first met, just in case I ever found it necessary. I feel this is a tell- tell sign that medication will have to be a factor. Hopefully by relieving your symptoms we can begin to really work on the root cause of your current crisis as well. Does all of this sound alright?"

Peter nodded, Tony held back his overall concern and massive amounts of questions over the medication for later. He was content enough seeing that Peter didn't seem too fazed with the sudden change.

As soon as the woman had appeared, she was gone in the same instant.

As she left a new determination fell upon Peter, it sent a chill down Tony's spine, and a burst of pride. Peter would see this through, it was just in the kid's nature to do so.

And so, the two weeks began, not without conflict. Therapies went on as planned, Tony gradually grew more in tune with Peters potential reactions to each, namely EMDR sessions. The teen would ethier be very tired after them- or very sad and restless. Tony always reacted accordingly to each. Whether it be making sure the boy slept or simply sitting and letting Peter vent about it all.

Bruce also found small ways to help as the weeks passed, if Tony was away for a few hours he would step up and make sure the teen wasn't alone for too long of a time.

Lab time had officially been cut off, so the training rooms were used more than ever as Peter would take out his frustrations in exercises.

Before anyone really realized it, two weeks had passed, leaving Peter in a freshly washed pair of jeans and his signature school sweatshirt. He happily gathered his things from the room he had been staying in for the past couple of weeks. Aunt May and Tony lightly chatting as he emerged from the room with everything.

"Ready kiddo?" Aunt May beamed.

"I think so!" Peter was equally as happy at the moment, he genuinely felt safe for once. Not completely happy or anything, but he knew it would come in time. Everything simply felt stable, and he settled for that for now.

Happy showed up in that moment from the elevators, having already made a few trips to pack up the trunk of the car with Peters things.

"Looks like this is it!" Aunt May took the suit case from Peter, Happy taking the other. "I'll see you in the car Peter." Aunt May waved, giving a quick hug and quiet "thank you" to Tony.

As soon as Happy and May were in the elevator, Tony turned to the ever-fidgeting teen. "So? You got approved by the doc, meds are refilled, therapies are scheduled once a week- obviously Happy will be taking care of your transportation- I'll be around too. Are you ready?"

Peter shrugged, "I think I am as ready as I can be Mr. Stark, thanks to you."

Tony rolled his eyes at that, throwing his hands up unbelievably, "can't believe I'm getting credit for your internal decision to keep fighting." He smiled, placing a caring hand on Peters shoulder, "this was all you Pete."

"I've been wanting to ask- did you, well…did you ever think I wouldn't make it?" Peter wasn't looking up anymore, scared to see the man's reaction. It was a question that had been in his mind as he pushed himself forward in the past weeks.

"Not once, I can assure you."

The two looked up to see Bruce approaching them from the other side of the massive room, "he actually wouldn't stop bragging about you the whole time after you decided you were going to try to stay here again."

Tony shrugged, "it's true."

"Like a proud dad really." Bruce chirped.

Peter chuckled at Tony's playful eye roll, "I really do feel better- not all the way, but if there is one thing I have learned from all this, it's that things do get better."

"Exactly. If that gets hard to believe again though, you know what to do. The tower is always open, phones are always on."

Peter nodded, he couldn't help but smile, things were looking up for once in a long while.

"Well! Come on, you have to get back home so you can get plenty of sleep for school tomorrow." Tony lead Peter to the elevator- not before Bruce gave a rare hug to the teen.

As the elevator descended Tony cleared his throat. "I'm proud of you kid." He then pulled Peter into a hug, "I'll get the suit back to you in a weeks' time, until then, stick to getting caught back up in school. Alright? And be patient with aunt hottie, she's going to be hovering over you for a while."

Peter returned the hug with much comfort, "I will Mr. Stark. Promise!"

"Good kid, I'll see you next weekend then."

Peter waved as he ran across the lobby and out to the parked car, Happy opening and closing the back door for him.

Things were looking up alright, and for once everyone truly felt it would stay there.


End file.
